Sanitary mouthpiece for telephones.



C. BROWN.

SANITARY MOUTHPIECE FOR TELEPHONES.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAY 17. 1911.

1,259,481. Patented 19, 1918.

7 grwentox CLRUDE BROWN" .6

' N. 8. )Mi

Clttozney "UNITE CLAUDE BROWN, OF CHAPEL HILL, TENNESSEE.

SANITARY MOUTI-IPIECE FOR TELEPHONES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

Applicationfiled May 17, 1917. Serial No. 169,153.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUDE BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chapel Hill, in the county of Marshall, State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful. Sanitary Mouthpiece for Telephones; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to a disinfecting attachment for the mouthpieces of telephone transmitters, and has for its object to provide a device of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby a supply of disinfectant is automatically fed to the mouthpiece as required, thereby maintaining the same .at all times in a sanitary condition so that there will be no danger of the transmission of diseases through the use of the telephone by different people.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a telephone mouthpiece attachment of this character which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which can be readily applied to the telephone without necessitating any changes in the construction thereof or without interfering in any manner with the operation of the telephone, which has a neat and attractive appearance, and which will act in an effective manner to prevent the telephone mouthpiece from serving as a carrier of diseased germs.

With these and other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel combinapiece provided with a sanitary attachment constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the split clamping ring removed from the mouthpiece.

Fig, 3 is a detail perspective view of the upper end of the upper tubular member through which )asses the absorbent wick.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

F or the purpose of illustration the inven tion is shown as applied to the mouthpiece 1 of a conventional telephone transmitter A which is mounted upon a suitable support or base B. The mouthpiece 1 is of the conventional construction, being flared outwardly and having the reduced end thereof fitted removably upon the front of the transmitter. A layer 2 of some absorbent material such as felt is applied to the side walls of the mouthpiece 1 on the interior thereof, said felt being retained in position against the side walls by a foraniinous shell or cage 3 which has a shape corresponding to that of the interior of the mouthpiece, the outer edge of the retaining cage being substantially flush with the outer edge of the mouthpiece when the device is in operative position. The cage 3 can be very conven iently formed from woven wire fabric. 7

A split binding ring el which has a channel shaped cross section is applied to the edge of the mouthpiece 1 and serves to hold the felt retaining cage 3 securely in proper position within the same. The ends of the split binding ring may be held together in any suitable manner, although in the present instance they are shown as provided with ears 5, said ears being connected by a clamping bolt 6. With this construction it will be obvious that by tightening the clamping bolt the split binding ring can be drawn tightly around the edge of the tele phone mouthpiece 1. Hingedly connected at 7 to the split binding ring 4: is an upper tubular member 8 which has a telescoping connection with a lower tubular member 9, said tubular member 9 being hingedly con nected at its lower end, as indicated at 10, to a disinfectant receiving reservoir 11 which may be secured to the base B by suitable fastening means 12. A wick 13 extends through the telescoping tubular members 8 and 9, the upper end of the wick being held in contact with the absorbent lining 2 of the mouthpiece 1, while the lower end of the wick extends downwardly into the disinfectantwithin the reservoir 11. The disinfectant from the reservoir. is thus fed by capillary attraction to the felt lining 2 of the mouthpiece, so that the said lining 1s at all times partially saturated With 'disinfectant, thereby rendering the mouthpiece sanitary and enabling it to be used Without danger of becoming infected With some disease. I V r The hinged end of the outer tubular Wick receiving member 8 terminates in a resilient finger 14 Which is curved laterally and extends into the n'outhpiece, said finger serving to brace the end of the Wick tightly against the absorbent lining 2 of the mouthpiece. At this point the inner flange of the binding ring l is cut away,as indicated at at, and the edge of the felt retaining cage 3 may also be notched, so that the end-of the wick can be held in a direct engagement With the felt 2, thereby enabling a s-ufiiclent phones, since the Wick receiving tube can be lengthened or shortened, and also arranged at different angles, as may be neces sary. Having thus described the invention, What Iclaim 'as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a telephone mouthpiece, of an absorbent lining applied to the side walls thereof, retaining means for holding the absorbent lining in position,

7 a disinfectant reservoir, an extensible Wick receiving tube formed in telescoping secions which are loosely connected to the retaining means and the reservoir, respec tively, and a Wick extending through the Wick receiving tube for feeding disinfectant by capillary attraction from the reservoir to the absorbent lining.

2. The combination with mouthpiece, of an absorbent lining applied a telephone to the sidewalls thereof, a for-aminous cage fitted over the lining for holding it in 'positi'on, a binding ring applied to the edge of the mouthpiece andengaging the retaining cage, a reservoir, a Wick receiving tube leading from the reservoir to the binding ring, and a ivlck extending through the tube for supplying disinfectant by capillary attraction from the reservoir to the absorbent lining.

3. The combination with i a telephone mouthpiece, of an absorbent lining applied the reservoir to the absorbent lining", the

spring arm at the outer end of the wick 'recelv ng tube serving to hold the end of the Wick 1n engagement with the absorbent lining.

4. The combination with a telephone mouthpiece, of an absorbent lining applied.

to the side Walls thereof, aforaminous retaining cage fitted over the absorbent linin a split binding ring applied to the edge of the mouthpiece for holding the retaining cage in position, a disinfectant receiving reservoir, an extensible wick receiving tube formed in telescoping sections which are connected to the binding ring and reservoir, respectively, the outer end of the Wick re ceiving tube being formed with a spring arm, and a Wickjextending through the wick receiving tube for feeding disinfectant by capillary attraction from the reservoir to the absorbent lining, the spring arm at the outer end of the Wick receiving tube serving to hold the end of the Wick in engagement with the absorbent lining.

,In testimony whereof I name to this specification in the two subscribing Witnesses.

CLAUDE BROWN.

have signed my presence of Witnesses WILLIs SHAW, G. L. MARSHALL.

copies or this patent may be obtained m are cents,- each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents;

Washington, D. G. 

